Thanks for visiting my RoadTrip Blog! If you are new to the site, please read the first post - "A Shell and a Stone Intro". - Thanks, Aaron Nichols

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Goin' Parkin'!

Good Morning - from the Wild Rose Resort in Island Park, Idaho! The staff is cute and friendly and We got WiFi so blogging comes first this morning. Yay! Here is Wednesdays Wild Ride.

Here is yesterday's drive - It Was REALLY pretty. I'll prove it in the pics to follow.

Sunrise at Flaming Gorge

Roxy liked our campground last night - she was free to roam and we had chillax time.

Per Sgt. Smith's recommendation - we hit the Geo Loop at Sheep's Creek - THIS ROAD WAS STEALLAR!!! Maybe the best 8 miles or so of the trip.

See the Huge Neck of the Rock-A-Sauraus Rex?? He just dove into the earth to grab a huge bite of breakfast. Hope he doesn't come back up soon!

I've been asked about my camera - here's the scoop - I have a cheapy Wal-Mart Nikon Coolpix. I take literally 200 pics per day and post only a few. I doctor some of them a little in Photoshop (I still got skillz from my old job :) and I do try to compose each pic with some basics from an old Photography class: Fill the Frame, Use the Rule of Thirds, Move the Eye with Direction, Interest and Contrast... Okay Sooo..... THIS CAMERA AND THESE PICS DON'T EVEN COME CLOSE TO LOOKING AT THIS STUFF IN REAL LIFE!! SERIOUSLY!! That is enthusiasm if you couldn't tell :)

Roxy and the Rox... okay, too easy...

Amazement!!

Tower Rock - there are lots of different formations packed together here. Limestone, Sandstone and lots of others, the signs are informative and interesting.

I will lay on the ground for a good pic :)

Some say horses are magical and mystical, I didn't doctor this pic.

About to leave Sheep's Creek - Fantastic!

Kemmerer, Wyoming - I met a nice guy at the fillin' station and then a Super Swell Guy (maybe Chad?) jacked up the Trooper for me to check the front wheel bearings. All is good. The annoying squeak is for sure brake dust that I brought back from Devil's Head. The truck is holding up great to the travel and sometime I'll post my MPG's and stuff. Pretty Good so far!

The Original JC Penny Store (obviously) Did you know that JC "Cash" Penny didn't believe in Debt? He believed that using debt was folly and his stores only started to accept credit for purchases after his death. Glad I got to see the MotherStore!

Out in Wyoming I found BIG LAND. The mountains here took a big deep breath and kinda pumped up out of the flat valley floors. I really liked to see the Big Ol Ranches, Big Ol Hayfields, Big Ol Rowcrop Fields. People here Work the land, but still have Great views too. The mood was much more kicked back than the Colorado Rockies. Kinda' like you prop your boots out on the highway pegs, reach high for your Ape Hangers, crank the throttle Wide-Open and Blaze On....

89 North twists in between Wyoming and Idaho

Afton was a nice place to chill while I blogged yesterday. The calm before the National Parks Storm of people!

On the way to Jackson Hole

The Snake River was sweet! These floaters weren't even wearing Neck Koozies, but they were hootin' and hollerin' through the valley!

The only Elks I was interested in around Jackson Hole.

Nice place. Jackson Hole Wyoming. LOTS of People. And now I know why it's called Hole.

Pop up out of the Hole and Immediately get hit with the Teton's.

I haven't messed with these pics. The view was hazy, but beautiful!

I took a picture of a guy and his girl, so he took one of me and mine.

Entering Yellowstone NP you drive first through Teton NP. Lots of trees and TRAFFIC.

Canyons and Lakes and TREES were nice in Yellowstone. I arrived at that point at 6:30pm. Was warned that the trek to West Yellowstone was 69 miles. I only push forward on this trip. And a song from earlier in the day was ringing in my ears... "I'm going Down, In a Blaze of Glory!" I figured it may be crazy, but without a campsite picked yet, Yellowstone Full, I would drive on through and see what happened!

I did get to see Old Faithful General Store... SWEEEEET!

On the road I did get to see several thermal features. It was amazing.

This fella held up traffic for 30 minutes or so... I think he was laughing a little inside :)

The trout streams along the road were gorgeous. Closer to sundown, you could see the mosquitos landing on the water, trout rising to dine on them... Then the mosquitos entered my open window to dine on Me!!

Outside of Yellowstone I found Henry's Lake and saw signs for camping. Wishin I was staying here!

Instead I found room at the Wild Rose Resort. I was REALLY glad to have a spot to stay at 9:30 at night. I was told the campsites "Weren't the Best" but I didn't want to shell out the clams for a room in a cabin.

The bathrooms were top-notch though!!

Oh, what a long day in the car and my baby Roxy was getting antsy by the end. I now know that I have found my groove, my kind of scenery, my favorite spots of driving and viewing God's masterpieces... For Me, those places are where the are little or no other people. Enjoyment is individualized and you get the feeling of discovering things on your own.

I had to notice that I've blown through Estes, Steamboat and Jackson Hole. Trying to move on as quickly as possible to get back out to the open road. Obviously the masses of others have their own opinions and probably enjoy the conveniences, tee-shirts and tasty morsels in these resort towns.

I'm finding that just like Dave says about financial fitness: "Debt is Normal, Be Weird"

I am most definetly WEIRD!!!

- A

Back out on the road today. headed further west and maybe to Oregon. I did actually do a little more planning and have a number to call of a place to stay for the night... Maybe I'm learning a little bit as I go??

Sweet Song that came on the radio yesterday driving Wide-Open in Wyoming!!